Electronic medical records save lives

LEWISTON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Electronic medical records are helping streamline doctor's offices throughout Maine. Now, some doctors are using them to save lives.

At Central Maine Medical Center, Bridgton Hospital and Rumford Hospital and in the medical practices in the Central Maine Medical Group, a new software program is helping doctors identify patients at risk for certain life threatening diseases, including cancer and abdominal aortic aneurysms.

The software scans electronic health records looking at factors such as age, gender, family history, smoking--and identifies patients who should have certain dianostic tests.

"We have an opportunity based on evidence in medical literature to save lives by either preventing illnesses from happening or by preventing catastrophic complications of illnesses by finding them early and allowing our medical system to address the problem while it's curable and our patinets are alive and well," says Dr. Glenn Focht of the Central Maine Medical Group.

Once "at risk" patients are identified doctors can then suggest the appropriate diagnostic tests.